Aurbach



May 18. 1954 U H 2,678,601 PRINTING DEVICE FOR CASH REGISTERS, ACCOUNTING MACHINES, AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 17, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 18. 1954 K. AURBACH PRINTING DEVICE FOR CASH REGISTERS, ACCOUNTING MACHINES, AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 17 1949 New May 18. 1954 K. AURBACH 2,678,601

PRINTING DEVICE FOR CASH REGISTERS, ACCOUNTING MACHINES, AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 17, 1949 lave/7&0

Wu 1%; W a; F. v 17 mW km. mm. i. i v W N 3 \\m V ll -m Q kw Patented May 18, 1954 PRINTING DEVICE 'FOR CASH REGISTERS, ACCOUNTING ,MACHINES", AND THE LIKE Kurt Aurbach, Bielefeld, Germany, assignor to Anker-Werke, A. G., Bielefeld, Germany, a corporation of Germany Application August 17, 1949, Serial No. 110,796

Claims priority, application Germany October 1, 1948 s Claims. (01. 101-96) i The invention relates to printing devices in cash registers, accounting machines and the like business machines for printing a receipt, 3, check 01' detail tape, and a recording tape.

The customary printing devices of this type, while capable of the required performance leave much to be desired as regards an arrangement of the individual printing places best suited for emcient operator manipulations.

A known printing device, forinstance, has a horizontal guide for receipts arranged in front of a vertical guide for checks. The receipt printing place lies above and the printing place for the recording tape below the type carriers, while i the printing place and guide for thecheck are located in the rear Ofthe device (see German Patent No. 664,554, issued September 5, 1938).

Such a device has several shortcomings. Due to the horizontal arrangement of the receipt guide, the operator must be careful to shove the sales slip far enough beyond the printing place. Receipts can be printed only on individual slips, but not on tape because the receipt guide, lying in front of the Vertical check guide, does not and cannot extend to the rear wall of the machine. The operator when comparing the printed receipt with the imprint on the recording tape must considerably shift his view because the visible, imprinted portion of the tape lies relatively far below the receipt printing place.

Referring to cash registers, accounting machines and the like machinery for listin an item on recording tape printing a check or detail tape, and printing a receipt, it is an object of the invention to provide triple amount printing devices that obviate some or all of the above mentioned deficiencies of the known machines of this kind. Another object of the invention is to design these printing devices so that notonly sales slips but also receipt papers of various lengths or tapes can be receipted.

1 Stillanother object of the invention is to permit using, for a given machine space, a larger supply roll of check. tape than can be used with the known triple printing devices.

Other objects of the invention aim at improvements of the type-carrying and type-adjusting devices in multiple printers of the above-mentioned type, at improvements of the appertaining ink ribbon guide means, andalso at anim- .2 proved design of the means for ejecting the printed check.

According to one of the features of the invention, a triple amount printing device in a cash register or the like machine has its receipt printing place and the printing place for the record, ing tape located at about the same height as the amount-settin field of the machine, while the check printing means are disposed underneath the two other printin places. According to another feature of the invention, the guide for the receipt paper has a path remote from that of the check guide means and is preferably slanted downwardly from its inlet opening. As a result, receipt papers of various kinds and lengths can be used. The slanted arrangement of the receipt guide has also the advantage that, for a given machine size, considerably larger rolls of check tape can beaccomrnodated so that a repeated interruption of operation during rush periods, which is especially disagreeable with clerkidenti fying machines, is eliminated. The arrangement of the receipt and recording tape printing places at about the same height as the amount-setting field has the further advantage that the direc- Fig. 2 is an axial cross section of the type-' carrying and adjusting assembly of the printing device appertainin to the machine of Fig. 1, the plane of section bein indicated in Fig. 1 by a dot-ahd-dash line denoted by I-I,

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the assembly shown in Fig. 2, and.

Fig. 4 is a top view of a check dispensing device appertaining to the machine of Fig. 1.

The printing device of the cash register shown in Fig. 1 has a printing place A for printing a receipt I, a printing place B for printing a recording tape 2, and a printing place C for printing a check or detail tape 3. The printing of the three cate years.

respective papers is effected by means of type wheels 5, E, l and 3 (Figs. 1' to 3). Each of these type wheels has three repetitive columns of types along the wheel periphery, one column for each of the three printing places. Type wheels 4% print amount of the item to be registered. Type wheel prints the clerk initials or symbols. Type wheel 6 prints 2. character identifying the kind of transaction. Type wheel it prints the consecutive item number, and type wheels s print the date. The type wheels 4 to 6 are connected by respective concentric transmission tubes s with the item setting or control devices of the machine which also control the addin means (not illustrated) and the indicator 9 'of the machine. If desired, an item counter and a cash drawer mechanism (both not shown) may also be controlled by the setting or control devices.

The type wheels s to 8 are surrounded by a cup shaped housing is (Figs. 2, 3) which is firmly secured to a side wall or frame H of the machine. The housing Hi has openings i2 (Fig. 3) to be traversed. the printing hammers mentioned below. The outer.v peripheral surface of a cup i3 (Fig. 2) connected with housing It by screws i l, so was as a bearing for the type wheels I and 8. A plate i5 screwed to cup it serves as an abutment for the type wheels 3, 8. The type wheels 7 for printing the consecutive number of the transaction are driven, in a known manner, by the gear it of a stepping drive. The type Wheels 8 for the date are adjusted by pinions i'l, Hi, It, and 26. These pinions are individually connected with respective discs 2|, 22, 23, and it. The disc 25 carries unit numbers from zero to nine, and disc 22 carries tens numbers from 1 to 3 for adjusting the day. Disc 25 has numbers to indicate months, and disc 24 has numbers to indi- One of the numbers of each disc is visible from the outside through respective openings 25 in a cup-shaped member 26 (Fig. 2) which serves as a guide for the ink ribbon mentioned below. The. date type wheels are adjusted by means of a turn key (not illustrated) which is to be engaged with the respective pinion shaftsZ'l.

A printing hammer 28 (Fig. 1) controls the printing of the receipt paper I at place A. As more fully described in a later place, the hammer 28 is pivoted on a shaft 28 and biased toward the illustrated position. During the machine op eration, the hammer 28 is actuated and pushes the receipt paper I against the type whee-ls i to 8. An ink ribbon. 21 passes between the receipt paper I and the type wheels andadvances stepwise after each printing.

The sales slipor other paper to be receipted is guided by a sheet metal structure 69 into which the slip is inserted through an opening SE of the machine housing 52. The guide structure is slanted downwardlytoward the rear of the machine. No particular careisrequired to place the slip into the proper printing position, as the slip, when inserted, will drop against a stop ledge 30 and thus assume the correct position. If desired, the ledge (it can be designed so that it is automatically lifted ifa double imprint is to be made. In the latter case, the printing hammer 28 operates twice in succession. Due to the slanted position of the receipt guiding means, it is also possible to imprint receipt slips of irregular length which will drop out after the ledge 30 is removed. Tape-shaped receipt paper can also be used. It is then only necessary to extend the receipt guide to or through the rear wall of the machine. This can readily be done because the then extended guide path is not obstructed by other machine parts.

The above-mentioned ink ribbon 29 extends between a lower spool and an upper spool of a ribbon feed device which is mounted on an ex- The shafts tension 56 of the frame 26 (Fig. l). 63 and 64 for the respective spools are secured to the extension 56. Two ratchet gears 65, 66 revolvable on the respective. shafts E3, 64 serve to advance the ribbon in mutually opposing directions, only one of the ratchet gears being actuated for each direction by a pawl mechanism in a manner :nown as such. In the illustrated condition, only the ratchet gear 66 is pawl driven to revolve clockwise so that the ribbon 29 is wound up on the appertaining, upper spool. The ribbon extends from the lower spool along all threeprintmg places (Fig. 1) and, as mentioned, is guided by the cup-shaped frame 26 (Fig. 2).

For p 'inting the recording tape 2 at place 33, a printing hammer 3| i located beneath a tape guide 32. Hammer 3! is pivoted on a shaft 61 and biased by a spring 58 toward the illustrated position (Fig. 1). A link 69 connects the hammer 31 with the actuating mechanism of the machine sothat the .hammeroperates only once for each machine operation. The recording tape 2 comes from a supply reel '58 and passes between the head or platen of hammer 3i and the ink ribbon, thence over the plane front surface of guide 32 to a receiving spool H which has a pawl-operated ratchet gear 12 incrementally driven from theactuating mechanism of the machine. The tape portion in front of guide 32, carrying the last'printed item and several previously printed items, is visible to the operator through an opening 13 (Fig. 1)

of the machine housing 62. If desired, this tape portion may be accessible through the opening 13 for manually writing notations on the recording tape. 7

A printing hammer 33 is provided near printing place C for imprinting the check tape 3. This hammer is al o controlled by the actuating mechanism of the machine and operates once or several times during each machine operation depending upon the desired cr selected performance of the machine. A repeated performance occurs especially when the machine is designed for the issuance of a double check or when an itemized check with a separate totalized check section is to be issued. The check tape passes from a supply reel 8! over a guide roller 82 and extends between the head or platen of hammer 33 into therange of a cutter 34. The cutter is of the cylindrical type. It is revolvable and has a cutting segment normally in the illustrated position so-that the check tape 3, afterthe printing, can freely advance into a chute formed by two sheet metal guides 35 and 36. vAfter the check tape has completed its feed movement, the cutter 3t revolves clockwise 'so that one edge of its cutting segment cuts the printed check oifthe tape. The severed check then drops through the chute 35, 36 onto a conveyor. The cutter 36 operates once or. several times during each machine performance depending upon the number of imprints produced by the hammer. The cutting device is also suitable for perforating or embossing a tear line across the check. To this end, the cutter revolves only far enough to have its edge enter into the tape paper without fully severing the paper. Cutting devices of this type and the just-mentioned manner of operation are known as such and hence need'not be further described.

The conveyor for ejecting the severed check has, preferably, two or more endless conveyor belts consisting, for instance, of helical springs as shown at 31 and 31 (Figs. 1, 4). Springs 31, 31' are guided and tensioned over sheaves 38, 39 and 38', 39'. Sheaves 38 and 38 are driven by a pinion 49 which meshes with a rack 4|. Rack 4| is controlled by the actuating mechanism of the machine through a drive lever 41 pivoted at 48. During each machine operation, the rack 4| moves at first toward the right. A lateral lug 42 of rack 4| then slides along a downwardly slanted resilient guide strip 43 so that the rack 4| turns downwardly until the lug 42 abuts against a stop face 44 of a bearing bracket 45. During the further rack movement, the lug 42 presses an angular end portion 46 of the elastic strip 43 upwardly. After the passage of lug 42, th portion 46 springs back into its original po sition so that the rack 4|, when subsequently sliding back, has its lateral lug 42 in engagement with the top side of the resilient strip 43. Hence, the rack is now lifted into meshing engagement with the pinion 40 and revolves it clockwise (Fig. 1). Thus, the conveyor springs 31, 31' are operated to move the check toward the right onto a plate 55 within the reach of the operator.

In order to obtain the desired speed for the ejection of the check, the drive lever 41 is biased by a spring 49 and has a cam-shaped upper end engageable by aroller 59. Roller 50 is pivoted on an arm mounted on a shaft 83 of the actuating mechanism of the machine. Shaft 83 turns one complete revolution during each machine operation. The roller 59 then engages the cam end of drive lever 41 to move the rack 4| to the right as described. As soon as the roller 59 leaves the cam end, the lever 41, forced by spring 49, snaps back to the illustrated position and thus imparts a rapid movement to the conveyor.

In order to secure a sufficiently large ejection movement for the check, an additional device is provided which maintains the conveyor in operation even after the rack 4| has left the pinion 43. To this end, th pinion 40 is connected with a spur gear 53 meshing with a pinion 4| on the shaft of a fly wheel 54 which prolongs the period of operation of the conveyor. As is apparent from the foregoing, the drive lever 41 is released only at the end of the machine operation so that the ejection of the printed check begins only after practically all of the available 360 of rotation have been utilized for operating the other devices of the machine. The fly-wheel drive, as described, operates as a free-wheeling drive so that the fly wheel and conveyor continue mov ing after the other mechanisms have completed their operations.

It will be understood, that the actuating mechanism of the machine controls and operates the above-described devices in the required relation and sequence to one another. The above-mentioned shaft 83 of the machine actuating mechanism carries a cam 9| for actuating the hammer 28 when shaft 83 passes through the proper phase of revolution. Cam 9| (Fig. 1) has one or two noses 92 depending upon whether one or two imprints are desired for each,

machine operation. Cam nose 92 coacts with the cam roller 93 of an arm 94, pivoted at 28,

which is connected with the arm 29' of the ham nism-of the machine controls and. operates the" above-described devices in the required relation and sequence to one another. Thus the machine shaft 83 which, as described, controls the receipt-printing hammer 28 by means of cam 92, also carries a spur gear 84 which transmits the revolution of shaft 83 over a gear 95 to a gear 86 on a cam shaft 87. A cam 88 of shaft 81 actuates the link 69 of printing hammer 3|,

and a roller 88 on cam 88 is engageable with a spring-biased cam lever 99 which operates the pawl for advancing the ratchet gear 12 of the recording tape spool 1|. Similar actuating mechanisms are known in many modifications so that further details need not .be described. After setting up the amount to be registered and after inserting the customers receipt slip into opening 6| where it drops against ledge 39, the operator starts the machine and the shaft 83 (Fig. 1) performs one complete revolution. During that revolution, the nose or noses 92 of cam 9| on shaft 83 actuate the hammer 94 so that at place A a receipting imprint is made on the receipt slip. During the same revolution of shaft 83, the train of gears 94, 85, 86 causes the cam shaft- 87 to also perform one full revolution. This revolution, in Fig. l, is counterclockwise so that the cam roller 88 immediately engages the lever 90 and causes the ratchet gear 12 to turn the spool 1| one step, thus advancing the recording tape 2 accordingly. Thereafter, but still. during the same revolution of cam shaft 31, the cam 88 engages the linkage mechanism of link 99 and hammer 3|, thus causing th hammer 3| to imprint a record on tape 2. During the revolution of shaft 8'1, the printing hammer 33 is similarly actuated to imprint the check tape 3 at place C. Immediately thereafter, but still during the revolving period of shaft 8'1, the check tape is advanced a given distance into the chute 35, 39 and the cutter 34 revolves to sever the printed check from the tap shortly before the end of the machine operation. At about the same time, the conveyor is started to eject the check in the manner previously explained. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, as regards such and other details, the invention permits various changes and modifications without departure from the essential features of the invention as set forth in the claims annexed. hereto.

1. A. cash register or the like business machine, comprising a housing, an item setting field in the upper front portion of said housing, a triple amount-printing device disposed in said housing and having receipt printing means and record printing means and check printing means, said printing device comprising a group of type wheels each having three repetitive columns of type along the periphery thereof, said three printing means comprising respective platens spaced from each other along the periphery of the type wheels, each platen being disposed at a printing place correlated to one of said respective columns for having each platen print from similar type, respectively, on a receipt, a check and a record which are fed past the respective printing places, said receipt print-ing means and said record printing means being disposed at about the height of said item setting field and in the rear and front portions respectively of said housing, and said housing having at its front an opening near said record printing means to permit inspection of the amount printed by said record printing means, said check printing means being disposed beneath said two other printing means, two tape accommodating means having respective tapereelholders disposed beneath said printing device and having respective tape guides extending along said record printing means and said check printing means respectively, said tape guide of sa1d check printing means having a chute portion extending downwardly from said check printing means and at thefrear of the tape-reel holder for said check printing means, a check-tape cutter disposed between said check printing means and said chute portion for severing a check from the tape imprinted by said check printing means, a take-up reel for receiving the record printed by said record p; Jll'lg means, and a receipt guide extending from the upper front portion of said housing along said receipt printing means downwardly at the rear of said chute portion.

2. A cash register or the like business machine, comprising a housing, an item setting field in the upper front portion of said housing, a triple amount-printing device'disposed in said housing and having receipt printing means and record printing means and check printing means, said printing device comprising a group of type wheels each having three repetitive columns of type along the periphery thereof, said three printing means comprising respective platens spaced from each other along the periphery of the type wheels, each platen being disposed at a printing place correlated to one of said respective columns for having each platen print from similar type, respectively, on a receipt, a check and a record which are fed past the respective printing places, said receipt printing means and said record p'inting means being disposed at about the height of said item setting field and in the rear and front respectively of said. housing, and said housing having at its front an inspection opening near said record printing means for inspection of the amount printed by said record printing means, said check printing means being disposed beneath said other two printing means, a receipt guide extending from the upper front portion of said housing downwardly along said receipt printing means to the rear of said housing, record-tape accommodating means having respective reel holders for supplying and receiving a record tape and having guide means for passing the record tape between said reel holders along said record printing means, check- I tape accommodating means including a reel holder disposed beneath said check printing means, a check discharge chute extending downwardly from said check printing means and along the rear of said reel holder, tape cutter means disposed between said chute and said check printing means for severing a check from the check tape, and a check ejector disposed in the bottom portion of said housing beneath said reel holder and extending from below said chute to the front or" said housing.

a drive mechanism connected with platens of said printing device and with said two tape accommodating means for operating said printing device and said tape accommodating means, a power storing device having a power input member connected with said mechanism to be actuated thereby and having a free-wheeling power output member connected with said check ejector for actuating said ejector in dependence upon preceding operation of said printing device.

5. A cash register or the like business machine, comprising a housing, a printing device disposed in said housing and having check printing means, means for accommodating a check tape, a tape cutter adjacent to said check printing means for severing a check from the tape, check guide means extending from said cutter downwardly to the bottom portion of said housing, a check ejector having an endless-belt conveyor disposed in said housing underneath said tape accommodating means and said guide means, drive means connected with said printing device for operating said device, said drive means being also connected with said tape accommodating means and said cutter for operating them in dependence upon operation of said printing device, a movable control member forming part of said drive means and having a given position after the operation of said printing device and said cutter, and s id drive means having a drive mechanism in. driving connection with said conveyor and connected with said control member to be controlled by said member to operate conveyor when said member reaches said position.

r 6. A cash register or the like business machine, comprising a housing, a printing device disposed in said housing and having check printing means, means for accommodating a check tape, a tape cutter adjacent to said check printing means for severing a. check from the tape, check guide means extending from said cutter downwardly to the bottom portion of said housing, a check ejector having an endless-belt conveyor disposed in said housing underneath said tape accommodating means and said guide means, drive means connected with said printing device for operating said device, said drive means being also connected with said tape accommodating means and said cutter for operating them in dependence upon operation ofisaid printing device, a fly wheel in driving connection with said conveyor, and free-wheeling coupling means forming part of said drive means and coupling said drive ieans with said fly wheel for setting said fly wheel in motion when said printing device is operated.

7. A cash register or the like business machine, comprising a housing, a check printing device disposed in said housing, means for accommodating a check tape, a tape cutter adjacent to said check printing device, a check ejecting conveyor, check guide means extending from said tape accommodating means along said printing means and said cutter to said ejector, main drive in driving connection with said printing means and said cutter and said tape accommodating means, a mechanism connected with said main drive and having a reciprocatory movement for each operation of said printing device, a power storing member in driving connection with. said ejector, unidirectional transmission means coupling said member with said mechanism to impart movement to said power storing member only dur- 7 ing the return stroke of said mechanism, whereby said ejector starts running near the end of the operation of said main drive and continues running an additional period due to said power storing member.

8. A cash register or the like business machine according to claim 1, comprising an inking device common to said three printing means, said inking device having an inking ribbon extending serially along said three printing places and having a ribbon feed. mechanism mounted between said receipt guide and said chute portion of said 10 check tape guide.

0 References Cited in the file of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Shipley June 3, 1930 Robertson Mar. 10, 1931 Shipley June 28, 1932 Ohmer Aug. 29, 1933 Long Dec. 12, 1933 Hoifman Jan. 12, 1937 De Manna. Sept. 12, 1939 Carroll Oct, 3, 1939 Spurlino Oct. 31, 1944 Yohn June 14, 1949 

